Chapter One of Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design by Carol Ann Tominson and Jay McTighe distinguishes the differences between Understanding by Design (UbD) and Differentiation Instruction (DI), while providing you with reasons why they work so well together. UbD (mostly) answers the questions of what and how, “what we teach and what assessment evidence we need to collect” (pg2). DI focuses on those being taught; getting to know “whom we teach, where we teach, and how we teach)” (pg 3). The chapter also explains the differences of axioms and corollaries and how each effect UbD and DI methods of teaching. The axioms are “fundamental priniciples of” Ubd, while “corollaries demonstrate the way in which DI works to ensure that each student will have access to and support for success with the axioms” (pg3). This chapter concludes with examples of the different axioms and corollaries to ensure the understanding by the reader.
Synthesis
As we know kids come in many different sizes, shapes, colors, multiple intelligences, learning styles and as teachers we are suppose to be able to cater to the individual without putting the class at risk. This is where the methods of UbD and DI can be so helpful. In reading through the blogs of my peers the most prominent theme was that of understanding how the UbD and DI models will help us in preparing to understand the world of teaching. As we can all agree there are more that goes into a lesson plan that we had realized. The book tells us that “UbD is a way of thinking, not a program” (pg10). As Jon states” in order to succeed as a teacher it is [imperative] that I be as flexible as possible”. Knowing how to adapt to your students and appeal to all of them will be the most important and difficult challenge that you will be faced with as a teacher. Coming up with interesting and engaging lesson plans will help ensure that your students will want to learn and get excited about it as well. ~Amy Jones
Tori Penney
Chapter 1 presented a lot of information about UBD and DI, what they are, and why they are so important to each other. Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design affect how, what, where, and who we teach so that we can reach the goal of helping each student learn in their own way. Personally, it was really hard for me to read this chapter because I feel it was very unorganized. It jumps from one subject to another or to an example and without any warning. In this chapter, different axiom’s are identified and scenario’s on how to fulfill these axioms were presented, which I thought was very interesting and helpful. Axiom one is so straight forward and obvious that I am surprised it was even presented, of course the goal of curriculum is to deepen understanding, which is the purpose of education itself. Axiom two is something that also kind of shocked me, because while it seems to be so honest and again, obvious, I realized that many teachers do not take the time to watch students apply the knowledge, they simply teach it and move on. Axiom four is something that I am worried about as a teacher, reacting to students who need more time as well as students who need more to do. I am a strong fighter against busy work, but I am worried that as a teacher I will not be able to come up with something for a student to do that is useful and not too stressful, because that student may see it as unfair that they are doing more work than the others, even if their work time is the same. Overall, these axioms and DI/UBD will strongly affect my classroom, since modern day techniques revolve around them, I just have to learn how to implement them.
Kiera Timme
In Chapter 1, of Integrating Differentiated Instruction & Understanding by Design, the authors C. Tomlinson and J. McTighe describe the symbiotic relationship between the Understanding by Design (UbD) model and the Differentiated Instruction (DI) method. The text details how these two approaches complement each other in way that allows educators to create meaningful lessons, which also accommodate a full spectrum of learning needs. Where the UbD model (mostly) focuses on how to design and implement a curriculum, DI focuses on the diverse needs of those being taught. As I have yet to design a curriculum, I really appreciated the way the authors outlined and provided scenarios that detailed the interaction between the two approaches.
I found one idea, presented in the text, to be really powerful. Axiom 5 describes the UbD component of student exploration and self-assessment. This is then followed by its DI corollary. This corollary suggests that even students who may not yet have achieved all of the basic concepts, should, and need to partake in a discussion of ideas before they can be expected to achieve the desired goals. I had never considered the discussion being the crystalizing factor in understanding key concepts. Prior to this, I would have thought it would be difficult to discuss a topic you did not have a solid foundation in. The notion that it is discussion which aids in the building of this foundation seems so obvious now, but it is not something I would have thought of myself. I would definitely want to incorporate this practice into my classroom.
Garrett Hodgkins
Chapter one first introduces the ideas of Understanding by Design and Differentiated instruction, and it talks how both are intertwined with each other and work off of each other. It states the importance that educators have a model to adapt and work with, one that they can shape that will meet the needs of all of the teacher’s students. Throughout the rest of the chapter it goes on to describe axioms and corollaries, and scenario’s where both of these can be applied. I learned through this chapter how in a real teaching situation that I may cater to many students needs including those from different intelligences, languages, and learning ability. I learned that through the use of pre-assessment and a adaptable curriculum every student may live up to their potential, as long as the teacher is willing to mold to their needs as a learner. I also learned that a student is more likely to hold on to a thought if the knowledge can be used in a situation relatable to them, for instance comparing how the constitution may apply to their daily lives, as in Mr. Axelt’s history class.
Furthermore, the last paragraph is what rang out to me the most, specifically a particular quote. “ Professionals in any field are distinguished by two characteristics: (1) They act on the most current knowledge that defines the field, and (2) they are client centered and adapt to meet the needs of individuals (Tomlinson and McTighe 11). What this means to me is that I need to always be ready to change my teaching style as more knowledge of how students learn becomes available, always teaching to the highest proficiency possible, which includes updating my knowledge of useful technology as well. Secondly, it means as I already stated, it is important to consider the needs of the client, or students in our case, and always make sure to develop our services to meet their needs as best as we can.
Sean Falasca
I like the way the chapter opens up with the struggle to satisfy the copious amount of diversity between students and the ways they each learn. Different races, ethnicities, cultures, socioeconomic statuses, genders, and students absent adult support systems are all issues I will run into at some point in my career. Finding the delicate balance between them all is going to be a remarkable challenge, but I will strive to meet each of my students needs and ensure that they are learning the proper ways they need too.
By using UbD/DI, it presents the best way for me to make an impact while I teach. It assures that all materials are covered and those who need different methods in order to learn get the attention they need. These two methods are perfectly paired with one another. UbD focuses on what we teach and what assessment evidence we need to collect to properly understand that the material covered was understood correctly. DI focuses on the more human aspect of teaching by looking at whom, how, and where we teach. DI focuses on the varied learners in the classroom. By using UbD/DI in my classroom it will make me feel like I am implementing the best strategy to effectively teach curriculum to all learners.
Axioms and corollaries were completely foreign to me until I read this chapter, but they are the important components the make up UbD/DI. Axioms are the fundamental parts of UbD and corollaries and the examples of DI's. I can make a great [[#|lesson plan]], but if I don't have the proper corollaries to go with it then it will be like I never taught the lesson to some students. Inversely, if I don't make a very good lesson plan, but have good corollaries then I will be miscommunication information to students. It will be a point of mine to make sure I have a solid lesson plan and good differentiated ways of teaching my lessons.
Jon Delorme
The first chapter of Integrating by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe discusses why Differential Instruction and Understanding by Design should be combined in the classroom. The book states that effective teachers focus on who, where, what, and how they teach. Looking at teaching this way gives us a reason to include both models into our profession. The authors state that Understanding by Design “speaks most fully about ‘what’ and ‘how’ (2)” and Differentiated Instruction “focuses on whom we teach, where we teach, and how we teach (3).”
If there was one sentence that really stuck out to me in this chapter it was on page ten when the authors state, “Understanding by Design is a way of thinking, not a program (10).” This sentence stuck out to me because as I was reading one word kept popping into my mind, and that word was flexible. To me, in order to succeed as a teacher it sounds like it is absolutely important that I be as flexible as possible. As the book says, there are students who “need to move around to learn, students who need reading support…and so on (10).” If I am [[#|to be a teacher]] who follows Universal by Design and Differential Instruction practices then I better make sure I become flexible and good at thinking on the run.
Tess Perry
The first chapter introduced the ideas of Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design. Differentiated Instruction, abbreviated DI, takes differences among learners into consideration when planning lessons. The ideas of whom and where the learner is are addressed with DI. Understanding by Design, UbD, is a method for designing curriculum. Focusing on what needs to be taught and how it isgoing to be done, to allow learners to fully understand the content. This chapter also spoke to how UbD and DI are integrated and connected. Axioms and corollaries and real classroom examples were used to show how UbD and DI work together. The axioms, or statements, are the essential ideas of UbD. The corollaries support the axioms, showing how DI can be used to reinforce all students understand. The combination of UbD and DI allow for effective unit and lesson planning. Simply because I fully understand and am passionate about the content does not make me an effective educator. I am just one person; the way I learn and absorb information is not how others do. By thinking about what I want to teach learners and what I want them to understand is a start but considering how I am going to get my point across to my audience will help the audience understand the content.
Caroline Murphy
I was not very familiar with the concept of Understanding by Design, so I learned a lot about it from the first chapter. Listing off the four “who, where, what, how” elements of teaching was a really good way to put in simple terms what the important parts of teaching are. It was interesting to learn about how the two ways of thinking are both dependant on and strengthened by each other; that interchangability is essential to teaching as a whole, and it was really valuable to learn about how those two major concepts come together to create an ideal framework for instruction. I really liked the part where the authors specified that differentiated instruction is not a formula or magic solution where you simply plug your students and content area into place and everything works well. I think it can be easy to want to use educational methods in this way, but as the authors stated, differentiated instruction is meant to guide teachers through their own methods of instruction and give them a foundation for how they should seek to educated fairly and effectively. Understanding by Design and differentiated instruction are both things that will definitely impact my future classroom. A ‘one size fits all’ method of instruction has no place in modern teaching, and it is essential that, when I am a teacher, I find ways to embrace my students’ differences and adapt my instruction to best fit their varied needs. I also think that the idea of formulating a curriculum around the needs of my students is very important to ensuring that they are successful, and I will definitely keep in mind the ways that appreciating the differences in their learning levels and styles can have a positive impact on our classroom.
Alison Hutchins
The first chapter of Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design gives a really clear definition of the concepts mentioned in the title. It also explains to us the significance of these two methods of educating, as they are both currently being widely discussed, and are seen as practical and logical in the classroom. These methods are seemingly an effective way to combat the learning standards and accountability tests that teachers feel are “impoverishing” (p.1) their students. Understanding by Design (UbD) is set up to not only give students the information that they need, but also allowing them to use their minds and actually understand the information complexly. Differentiated Instruction (DI) plays into it by having the teachers using understanding by design to alter bits of the lesson to cater to the diverse learners in their classes.
These together address a huge challenge to today’s teacher, which is, they say, “crafting a powerful curriculum in a standards-dominated era and ensuring success for the full spectrum of learners.) (p.2). The two techniques are reliant upon each other, because each of them attend to one of the four elements of teaching: “whom they teach (students), where they teach (learning environment), what they teach (content), and how they teach (instruction)” (p.2). UbD, of course, addresses what we’re teaching and how it is done, as it is used to effectively deliver both information and understanding, while DI is about the whom and where, as it is about knowing your students and instructing to their individual needs. These two tactics seem incredibly necessary to deal with these problems of teaching to tests, and of teaching to a diverse classroom of learners. They also encourage student exploration, and relevant assessments that also to gauge a real comprehension, rather than just empty memorization.
Amy Jones
In chapter one of Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Joy McTighe the authors give you a brief introduction on what Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction’s are and how and they are part of many classes today. The book states that the primary goal of Understanding by Design is “delineating and guiding application od sound principles of curriculum design” The main focus for Understanding by Design is “what we teach and what assessment evidence we need to collect” (pg 2). Whereas Differentiated Instruction’s main focus is “whom we teach, where we teach, and how we teach” and the primary goal is” ensuring that teachers focus on processes and procedures that ensure effective learning for varied individual” (pg 3). The chapter explains what Axioms and Corollaries are and how the interact with UbD and DI’s way of teaching. The axioms are associated with Understanding by Design and the corollaries with Differentiated experience. The end of the chapter gives you scenarios that make it very easy to understand the different axioms and corollaries of teaching.
I personally liked how this chapter was set up. I like how it presented the information, first by explaining the what and then explaining how to incorporate all of it together. The way that different axioms and corollaries were worded was hard for me to understand. Although the scenarios that went along with those made it much clearer as to what the certain axions and corollaries really were and how to incorporate them into a classroom setting.
Molly Olsen
It's interesting to read about "understanding by design" and "differentiated instruction" because (and I'm sure my fellow future educators would agree) we never realized how much work goes into a single lesson plan. It seems to me that understanding by design and differentiated instruction are two superior ways of looking at, making, and teaching a lesson plan because they cater to students more specifically. The fact that they flow so well together is just a bonus.
In chapter one of "Integrating Differentiated Instruction + Understanding by Design" we're given different "axioms" of what a teacher was trying to accomplish, the third of which discussed how the teacher Mr. Axelt was going about developing a curriculum on the Constitution. He gave students who are at different understanding levels of varying aspects different materials, which seemed strange at first— like the playing field wasn't level— but in fact, it was allowing everyone in the group to learn the same amount of new things based on their prior knowledge.
One of the points which people can forget about differentiated curriculum, is that even though group discussions may be different at each table, each person may choose or be assigned a different book, or anything similar, that the goals of the work assigned are to focus on the unit's understandings and skills. If these remain constant, then the curriculum is doing what it needs to. This is why it's best to plan what you want to achieve before making the actual lesson plan, which is where understanding by design comes in. Because of this, and my feeling that differentiated curriculum is actually more fair to the class as a group here to learn, I think that differentiating assignments slightly or simply suggesting alternatives will be something I will take part apply to my curriculum.
Kaitlyn Bowie
This chapter focuses on introducing the concept of differentiated instruction and learning by design, and how they play into one another in the classroom. Understanding by design focuses on the model used for teaching a lesson, and differentiated instruction focuses more on how to adapt that lesson for students of varying levels of knowledge, background, and fields of interest. The chapter reiterates that teachers need to exercise both of these practices, and that an effective learning environment cannot be maintained if both are not met. The chapter also talks about how teachers needs to be continually adapting their strategies and plans as new information and new circumstances are presented to them. Neither differentiated instruction or learning by design are rules or programs, but should be seen as tools to strengthen a student’s ability to be an effective learner and for instructors to be effective teachers.
This impacts my classroom and me because at any time I could have a student come in with a learning disability, language barrier, or some other form of difficulty that puts that at a different pace than the rest of the class. As a teacher, I have to be able to relay the same information to that student in a way that suits them best, but doesn’t ostracize or isolate that student. This could mean bringing in brail versions of books for students who are blind, or pairing a student who is a stronger reader up with a student who struggles with reading and comprehension. However, I do have concerns on what I would do in other scenarios. Such as if the class in watching the film adaptation of a book, and a blind or deaf student would not be able to get the same information from the film as the rest of the students. Would I simply excuse the student from the work associated with the film, or put them work separately from the other students on an alternative assignment?
Frank Makuch
This chapter shows the importance of both Understanding by Design and Differentiated instruction. The two concepts are very vital to one another because they address student understanding together. It’s not enough to focus on UbD because students are different. This is where differentiated instruction comes in. The two aspects come together to increase student learning. This brings us to the most important single aspect of teaching, allowing students greater access to understand the content and be able to use it in a meaningful way. The rest of the chapter goes on to describe seven axioms that should be taken into account when integrating the two philosophies. The key to these axioms is that they focus on results. Axiom 4 is about testing to see what certain students know and then applying it in the classroom. The most interesting Axiom I found was Axiom 2. It states that students show understanding when they apply knowledge in authentic situations. It means that it is important for understanding that students see the relevance to what they are doing.
In my own classroom I hope to integrate the two philosophies well. Placing student understanding above everything else I will hope to be effective in presenting the lesson in a way that all students will be able to learn. As a future math teacher, I will have to understand the way that certain students think in the classroom. What is useful for me in learning (lecture) may not be useful to others. I need to learn to adapt to different learners at different levels.
Table of Contents
(http://www.docstoc.com/docs/111389032/Understanding-by-Design%E2%80%A6)
Abstract
Chapter One of Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design by Carol Ann Tominson and Jay McTighe distinguishes the differences between Understanding by Design (UbD) and Differentiation Instruction (DI), while providing you with reasons why they work so well together. UbD (mostly) answers the questions of what and how, “what we teach and what assessment evidence we need to collect” (pg2). DI focuses on those being taught; getting to know “whom we teach, where we teach, and how we teach)” (pg 3). The chapter also explains the differences of axioms and corollaries and how each effect UbD and DI methods of teaching. The axioms are “fundamental priniciples of” Ubd, while “corollaries demonstrate the way in which DI works to ensure that each student will have access to and support for success with the axioms” (pg3). This chapter concludes with examples of the different axioms and corollaries to ensure the understanding by the reader.Synthesis
As we know kids come in many different sizes, shapes, colors, multiple intelligences, learning styles and as teachers we are suppose to be able to cater to the individual without putting the class at risk. This is where the methods of UbD and DI can be so helpful. In reading through the blogs of my peers the most prominent theme was that of understanding how the UbD and DI models will help us in preparing to understand the world of teaching. As we can all agree there are more that goes into a lesson plan that we had realized. The book tells us that “UbD is a way of thinking, not a program” (pg10). As Jon states” in order to succeed as a teacher it is [imperative] that I be as flexible as possible”. Knowing how to adapt to your students and appeal to all of them will be the most important and difficult challenge that you will be faced with as a teacher. Coming up with interesting and engaging lesson plans will help ensure that your students will want to learn and get excited about it as well.~Amy Jones
Tori Penney
Chapter 1 presented a lot of information about UBD and DI, what they are, and why they are so important to each other. Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design affect how, what, where, and who we teach so that we can reach the goal of helping each student learn in their own way. Personally, it was really hard for me to read this chapter because I feel it was very unorganized. It jumps from one subject to another or to an example and without any warning. In this chapter, different axiom’s are identified and scenario’s on how to fulfill these axioms were presented, which I thought was very interesting and helpful. Axiom one is so straight forward and obvious that I am surprised it was even presented, of course the goal of curriculum is to deepen understanding, which is the purpose of education itself. Axiom two is something that also kind of shocked me, because while it seems to be so honest and again, obvious, I realized that many teachers do not take the time to watch students apply the knowledge, they simply teach it and move on. Axiom four is something that I am worried about as a teacher, reacting to students who need more time as well as students who need more to do. I am a strong fighter against busy work, but I am worried that as a teacher I will not be able to come up with something for a student to do that is useful and not too stressful, because that student may see it as unfair that they are doing more work than the others, even if their work time is the same. Overall, these axioms and DI/UBD will strongly affect my classroom, since modern day techniques revolve around them, I just have to learn how to implement them.Kiera Timme
In Chapter 1, of Integrating Differentiated Instruction & Understanding by Design, the authors C. Tomlinson and J. McTighe describe the symbiotic relationship between the Understanding by Design (UbD) model and the Differentiated Instruction (DI) method. The text details how these two approaches complement each other in way that allows educators to create meaningful lessons, which also accommodate a full spectrum of learning needs. Where the UbD model (mostly) focuses on how to design and implement a curriculum, DI focuses on the diverse needs of those being taught. As I have yet to design a curriculum, I really appreciated the way the authors outlined and provided scenarios that detailed the interaction between the two approaches.
I found one idea, presented in the text, to be really powerful. Axiom 5 describes the UbD component of student exploration and self-assessment. This is then followed by its DI corollary. This corollary suggests that even students who may not yet have achieved all of the basic concepts, should, and need to partake in a discussion of ideas before they can be expected to achieve the desired goals. I had never considered the discussion being the crystalizing factor in understanding key concepts. Prior to this, I would have thought it would be difficult to discuss a topic you did not have a solid foundation in. The notion that it is discussion which aids in the building of this foundation seems so obvious now, but it is not something I would have thought of myself. I would definitely want to incorporate this practice into my classroom.
Garrett Hodgkins
Chapter one first introduces the ideas of Understanding by Design and Differentiated instruction, and it talks how both are intertwined with each other and work off of each other. It states the importance that educators have a model to adapt and work with, one that they can shape that will meet the needs of all of the teacher’s students. Throughout the rest of the chapter it goes on to describe axioms and corollaries, and scenario’s where both of these can be applied. I learned through this chapter how in a real teaching situation that I may cater to many students needs including those from different intelligences, languages, and learning ability. I learned that through the use of pre-assessment and a adaptable curriculum every student may live up to their potential, as long as the teacher is willing to mold to their needs as a learner. I also learned that a student is more likely to hold on to a thought if the knowledge can be used in a situation relatable to them, for instance comparing how the constitution may apply to their daily lives, as in Mr. Axelt’s history class.Furthermore, the last paragraph is what rang out to me the most, specifically a particular quote. “ Professionals in any field are distinguished by two characteristics: (1) They act on the most current knowledge that defines the field, and (2) they are client centered and adapt to meet the needs of individuals (Tomlinson and McTighe 11). What this means to me is that I need to always be ready to change my teaching style as more knowledge of how students learn becomes available, always teaching to the highest proficiency possible, which includes updating my knowledge of useful technology as well. Secondly, it means as I already stated, it is important to consider the needs of the client, or students in our case, and always make sure to develop our services to meet their needs as best as we can.
Sean Falasca
I like the way the chapter opens up with the struggle to satisfy the copious amount of diversity between students and the ways they each learn. Different races, ethnicities, cultures, socioeconomic statuses, genders, and students absent adult support systems are all issues I will run into at some point in my career. Finding the delicate balance between them all is going to be a remarkable challenge, but I will strive to meet each of my students needs and ensure that they are learning the proper ways they need too.By using UbD/DI, it presents the best way for me to make an impact while I teach. It assures that all materials are covered and those who need different methods in order to learn get the attention they need. These two methods are perfectly paired with one another. UbD focuses on what we teach and what assessment evidence we need to collect to properly understand that the material covered was understood correctly. DI focuses on the more human aspect of teaching by looking at whom, how, and where we teach. DI focuses on the varied learners in the classroom. By using UbD/DI in my classroom it will make me feel like I am implementing the best strategy to effectively teach curriculum to all learners.
Axioms and corollaries were completely foreign to me until I read this chapter, but they are the important components the make up UbD/DI. Axioms are the fundamental parts of UbD and corollaries and the examples of DI's. I can make a great [[#|lesson plan]], but if I don't have the proper corollaries to go with it then it will be like I never taught the lesson to some students. Inversely, if I don't make a very good lesson plan, but have good corollaries then I will be miscommunication information to students. It will be a point of mine to make sure I have a solid lesson plan and good differentiated ways of teaching my lessons.
Jon Delorme
The first chapter of Integrating by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe discusses why Differential Instruction and Understanding by Design should be combined in the classroom. The book states that effective teachers focus on who, where, what, and how they teach. Looking at teaching this way gives us a reason to include both models into our profession. The authors state that Understanding by Design “speaks most fully about ‘what’ and ‘how’ (2)” and Differentiated Instruction “focuses on whom we teach, where we teach, and how we teach (3).”
If there was one sentence that really stuck out to me in this chapter it was on page ten when the authors state, “Understanding by Design is a way of thinking, not a program (10).” This sentence stuck out to me because as I was reading one word kept popping into my mind, and that word was flexible. To me, in order to succeed as a teacher it sounds like it is absolutely important that I be as flexible as possible. As the book says, there are students who “need to move around to learn, students who need reading support…and so on (10).” If I am [[#|to be a teacher]] who follows Universal by Design and Differential Instruction practices then I better make sure I become flexible and good at thinking on the run.
Tess Perry
The first chapter introduced the ideas of Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design. Differentiated Instruction, abbreviated DI, takes differences among learners into consideration when planning lessons. The ideas of whom and where the learner is are addressed with DI. Understanding by Design, UbD, is a method for designing curriculum. Focusing on what needs to be taught and how it isgoing to be done, to allow learners to fully understand the content. This chapter also spoke to how UbD and DI are integrated and connected. Axioms and corollaries and real classroom examples were used to show how UbD and DI work together. The axioms, or statements, are the essential ideas of UbD. The corollaries support the axioms, showing how DI can be used to reinforce all students understand.
The combination of UbD and DI allow for effective unit and lesson planning. Simply because I fully understand and am passionate about the content does not make me an effective educator. I am just one person; the way I learn and absorb information is not how others do. By thinking about what I want to teach learners and what I want them to understand is a start but considering how I am going to get my point across to my audience will help the audience understand the content.
Caroline Murphy
I was not very familiar with the concept of Understanding by Design, so I learned a lot about it from the first chapter. Listing off the four “who, where, what, how” elements of teaching was a really good way to put in simple terms what the important parts of teaching are. It was interesting to learn about how the two ways of thinking are both dependant on and strengthened by each other; that interchangability is essential to teaching as a whole, and it was really valuable to learn about how those two major concepts come together to create an ideal framework for instruction. I really liked the part where the authors specified that differentiated instruction is not a formula or magic solution where you simply plug your students and content area into place and everything works well. I think it can be easy to want to use educational methods in this way, but as the authors stated, differentiated instruction is meant to guide teachers through their own methods of instruction and give them a foundation for how they should seek to educated fairly and effectively. Understanding by Design and differentiated instruction are both things that will definitely impact my future classroom. A ‘one size fits all’ method of instruction has no place in modern teaching, and it is essential that, when I am a teacher, I find ways to embrace my students’ differences and adapt my instruction to best fit their varied needs. I also think that the idea of formulating a curriculum around the needs of my students is very important to ensuring that they are successful, and I will definitely keep in mind the ways that appreciating the differences in their learning levels and styles can have a positive impact on our classroom.
Alison Hutchins
The first chapter of Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design gives a really clear definition of the concepts mentioned in the title. It also explains to us the significance of these two methods of educating, as they are both currently being widely discussed, and are seen as practical and logical in the classroom. These methods are seemingly an effective way to combat the learning standards and accountability tests that teachers feel are “impoverishing” (p.1) their students. Understanding by Design (UbD) is set up to not only give students the information that they need, but also allowing them to use their minds and actually understand the information complexly. Differentiated Instruction (DI) plays into it by having the teachers using understanding by design to alter bits of the lesson to cater to the diverse learners in their classes.
These together address a huge challenge to today’s teacher, which is, they say, “crafting a powerful curriculum in a standards-dominated era and ensuring success for the full spectrum of learners.) (p.2). The two techniques are reliant upon each other, because each of them attend to one of the four elements of teaching: “whom they teach (students), where they teach (learning environment), what they teach (content), and how they teach (instruction)” (p.2). UbD, of course, addresses what we’re teaching and how it is done, as it is used to effectively deliver both information and understanding, while DI is about the whom and where, as it is about knowing your students and instructing to their individual needs. These two tactics seem incredibly necessary to deal with these problems of teaching to tests, and of teaching to a diverse classroom of learners. They also encourage student exploration, and relevant assessments that also to gauge a real comprehension, rather than just empty memorization.
Amy Jones
In chapter one of Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Joy McTighe the authors give you a brief introduction on what Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction’s are and how and they are part of many classes today. The book states that the primary goal of Understanding by Design is “delineating and guiding application od sound principles of curriculum design” The main focus for Understanding by Design is “what we teach and what assessment evidence we need to collect” (pg 2). Whereas Differentiated Instruction’s main focus is “whom we teach, where we teach, and how we teach” and the primary goal is” ensuring that teachers focus on processes and procedures that ensure effective learning for varied individual” (pg 3). The chapter explains what Axioms and Corollaries are and how the interact with UbD and DI’s way of teaching. The axioms are associated with Understanding by Design and the corollaries with Differentiated experience. The end of the chapter gives you scenarios that make it very easy to understand the different axioms and corollaries of teaching.I personally liked how this chapter was set up. I like how it presented the information, first by explaining the what and then explaining how to incorporate all of it together. The way that different axioms and corollaries were worded was hard for me to understand. Although the scenarios that went along with those made it much clearer as to what the certain axions and corollaries really were and how to incorporate them into a classroom setting.
Molly Olsen
It's interesting to read about "understanding by design" and "differentiated instruction" because (and I'm sure my fellow future educators would agree) we never realized how much work goes into a single lesson plan. It seems to me that understanding by design and differentiated instruction are two superior ways of looking at, making, and teaching a lesson plan because they cater to students more specifically. The fact that they flow so well together is just a bonus.In chapter one of "Integrating Differentiated Instruction + Understanding by Design" we're given different "axioms" of what a teacher was trying to accomplish, the third of which discussed how the teacher Mr. Axelt was going about developing a curriculum on the Constitution. He gave students who are at different understanding levels of varying aspects different materials, which seemed strange at first— like the playing field wasn't level— but in fact, it was allowing everyone in the group to learn the same amount of new things based on their prior knowledge.
One of the points which people can forget about differentiated curriculum, is that even though group discussions may be different at each table, each person may choose or be assigned a different book, or anything similar, that the goals of the work assigned are to focus on the unit's understandings and skills. If these remain constant, then the curriculum is doing what it needs to. This is why it's best to plan what you want to achieve before making the actual lesson plan, which is where understanding by design comes in. Because of this, and my feeling that differentiated curriculum is actually more fair to the class as a group here to learn, I think that differentiating assignments slightly or simply suggesting alternatives will be something I will take part apply to my curriculum.
Kaitlyn Bowie
This chapter focuses on introducing the concept of differentiated instruction and learning by design, and how they play into one another in the classroom. Understanding by design focuses on the model used for teaching a lesson, and differentiated instruction focuses more on how to adapt that lesson for students of varying levels of knowledge, background, and fields of interest. The chapter reiterates that teachers need to exercise both of these practices, and that an effective learning environment cannot be maintained if both are not met. The chapter also talks about how teachers needs to be continually adapting their strategies and plans as new information and new circumstances are presented to them. Neither differentiated instruction or learning by design are rules or programs, but should be seen as tools to strengthen a student’s ability to be an effective learner and for instructors to be effective teachers.
This impacts my classroom and me because at any time I could have a student come in with a learning disability, language barrier, or some other form of difficulty that puts that at a different pace than the rest of the class. As a teacher, I have to be able to relay the same information to that student in a way that suits them best, but doesn’t ostracize or isolate that student. This could mean bringing in brail versions of books for students who are blind, or pairing a student who is a stronger reader up with a student who struggles with reading and comprehension. However, I do have concerns on what I would do in other scenarios. Such as if the class in watching the film adaptation of a book, and a blind or deaf student would not be able to get the same information from the film as the rest of the students. Would I simply excuse the student from the work associated with the film, or put them work separately from the other students on an alternative assignment?
Frank Makuch
This chapter shows the importance of both Understanding by Design and Differentiated instruction. The two concepts are very vital to one another because they address student understanding together. It’s not enough to focus on UbD because students are different. This is where differentiated instruction comes in. The two aspects come together to increase student learning. This brings us to the most important single aspect of teaching, allowing students greater access to understand the content and be able to use it in a meaningful way. The rest of the chapter goes on to describe seven axioms that should be taken into account when integrating the two philosophies. The key to these axioms is that they focus on results. Axiom 4 is about testing to see what certain students know and then applying it in the classroom. The most interesting Axiom I found was Axiom 2. It states that students show understanding when they apply knowledge in authentic situations. It means that it is important for understanding that students see the relevance to what they are doing.In my own classroom I hope to integrate the two philosophies well. Placing student understanding above everything else I will hope to be effective in presenting the lesson in a way that all students will be able to learn. As a future math teacher, I will have to understand the way that certain students think in the classroom. What is useful for me in learning (lecture) may not be useful to others. I need to learn to adapt to different learners at different levels.